yakusoku
by Araine
Summary: “As long as you need it, I’ll be there for you, Inoue-san.” Ishida, Orihime, and promises broken and whole.
1. part one

**Title:** yakusoku – part one  
**Author:** Araine  
**Characters:** Ishida Uryuu, Inoue Orihime, some Kurosaki Ichigo  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Wordcount:** 488  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo-sensei.  
**Notes:** The first in a seven-part series of short-shots, centering around Ishida, Orihime, and the promises that they make to each other. The pieces at the beginning are parts of one version of the Tanabata myth. The title is "yakusoku", which means promise.

* * *

_Once upon a time, the weaving princess Orihime came down to earth, where she stopped to ask directions from a young cowherd who lived in a nearby village. The young man's name was Hikoboshi, and he was very alone._

_Because he was so alone, Orihime fell in love with Hikoboshi. As chance would have it, Hikoboshi had fallen in love with Orihime. Soon they were married, and for a time they lived happily._

Ishida is the first one through the door to the grand hall in Hueco Mundo.

He is inside in an instant, using hirenkyaku, so fast that she can't see him until he already has his back turned to face the incoming Arrancar. There is a grim set to his eyes, but she can swear that she sees a reassuring look shot back to her before his glasses flash once, and he turns to face the threat.

An avenging Seele Schneider rests in his hand-

_(like Excalibur or Kusanagi no Tsurugi or any other sword out of legend)_

-and he stands there between her and danger without so much as a flinch or a sign of fear. She watches this and trembles because he is _(beautifulchivalrousdaringheroic)_ going to get himself killed.

She will hate herself if he does, if she can't manage to save him.

And he knows _(he knows her so well, too well, better than she knows herself)_ this, and still he stands there, an image of solidarity, between her and death, and it is breathtaking even as it is terrifying that he will die here and it will be her fault.

Although moments later, Kurosaki comes blasting through the door, black blade of Tensa Zangetsu at the ready. She smiles then, a wide sincere smile,-

_(because he is no longer terrifying, because his eyes no longer are hidden by the mask of a Hollow, because he is Kurosaki-kun again)_

-because everything is going to be alright now.

And then the rest of them appear – Rukia and Sado and Renji – and she wants to cry tears of happiness to see them alive and unhurt even while she knows that she should be strong and help them somehow.

They have come for her, and she owes them enough without making them protect her, and she has been enough of a burden already.

But the battle is pitched confusion, and she can't do much to help. She uses Tsubaki to the best of his ability, golden shield of Santen Kesshun surrounding her body, but that doesn't stop her from getting knocked off of her feet to fall a dizzying distance. As she falls, she hears Kurosaki's roar that Ishida – the closest – grab her, although he is already moving, and in moments his hands steady her shoulders.

It is a familiar gesture _(comfortable and easy and maybe even right)_ and she gives him a breathless shocked look before thanking him, in the best way she knows how.

"It's nothing," he gives his standard response.

She knows that it's not.

"Ishida-kun is always there for me," she tells him, a little bit emphatically – maybe then he'll believe her – "Every time I need saving, it always seems to be Ishida-kun who is there."

He gives her an indecipherable look, and replies in a soft voice, "As long as you need it, I'll be there for you, Inoue-san."

She smiles.

It is splendid.


	2. part two

**Title:** yakusoku – part two  
**Author:** Araine  
**Characters:** Ishida Uryuu, Inoue Orihime  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Wordcount:** 488  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo-sensei.  
**Notes:** The second in a seven-part series of short-shots, centering around Ishida, Orihime, and the promises that they make to each other. The pieces at the beginning are parts of one version of the Tanabata myth. The title is "yakusoku", which means promise.

* * *

_But this happiness was not to last, for Orihime was a princess of heaven, and soon the time would come when she would have to return home._

_When that time came, they were both very sad. But Orihime instructed him to weave one-thousand zoori, and plant them by the bamboo tree, and they would see each other again. Then Orihime put on her heavenly robe of feathers, and made the journey back to heaven._

_The very next day, Hikoboshi began weaving the straw footwear. He worked tirelessly, day and night, and a year passed. At last he finished, and rejoiced that he would see his beloved Orihime once again. _

It must be so hard for Ishida, Orihime thinks, as she watches him from a distance during the after school cleaning. He looks lonely, and he looks sad, and he must be pining over Rukia, knowing that he could not tell her how he felt.

It is like something out of a shoujo manga – he is entirely lovesick, through he is too noble to tell anyone about it. At least she has Tatsuki to tell about her own private obsession, but Ishida doesn't even know that she knows.

Maybe, she thinks, she will play matchmaker and Ishida and Rukia will be happy, and then Kurosaki will finally realize her devotion to him, and once they are much older their children will meet and fall in love and they will all live happily ever after like in real fairytales or in manga. But it's a little bit more complicated than that-  
_  
(can Shinigami even have children?)_

-because firstly Ishida is a Quincy and Rukia is a Shinigami, and they are ancient enemies. And even if those boundaries are slowly blurring because of the dark-haired young man, she knows that he was forbidden to associate with Shinigami by his father.

Even that wouldn't be a deterrent _(because it would be like Romeo and Juliet, Guinevere and Lancelot, forbidden and somewhat tragic)_ if it weren't for the fact that he is the least likely candidate for his heart. She and Renji have a history, and she and Kurosaki…  
_  
(it hurts too much to think it, and she hates the fact that she is so selfishly jealous because Rukia was the one who changed Kurosaki's life)_

They are comrades, they are closer than friends, and they are moving even closer every day.

Orihime stands up and walks casually over to Ishida's desk-

_(misery loves company, after all)_

-to talk to him.

He gives her an acknowledging look, and she knows that he is happy that she is there, even if his lips curl only the tiniest bit upwards into a smile. She busily helps him dust chalk erasers out of the window, and wonders how to broach the subject.

"I know how you feel, Ishida-kun," she says, and he gives her a questioning look. "I mean, I know how it is, being in love with somebody so much, and knowing that you can't tell them, because it's too complicated, and it hurts-"

He looks stricken, and she immediately changes course.

"It's a lot like eating food, love is," she muses – Ishida, of course, remains silent, "You know, you really want something wonderful, tomato ketchup on raisin bread or umeboshi cake or seaweed muffins, but you know other people don't like it when you eat something like that so you bring something a little less tasty. But in the end you're just not as happy. Except with food you can eat somewhere else and people won't care, but with love it's everywhere and if you make someone else unhappy with it then maybe it's best to stay silent about it-"

"Inoue-san," he interrupts her, and his voice is like steel-  
_  
(like the blade edge of his famous sword)_

-and his glasses reflect her face, hiding the look in his eyes even though she knows what it is _(harsh and cold and razor-sharp)_ without even having to see. "I don't recall asking you to regale me with your philosophy about love."

She stands there stricken.  
_  
(she thought he was always there for her, what happened to that?)_

"I don't care."

It is that comment which hurts the most, which cuts the deepest, and she almost flinches under his intense gaze.

"Oh," she says, and it is quiet and nearly inaudible.

He sets down the chalk erasers, and his movements are stiff and formal, and then he is across the classroom and out the door.

She turns around and finishes the job _(so unlike Ishida, to leave something like this unfinished)_ and tries to understand what just happened while controlling the tightening of her throat and the tears behind her eyes. And when they finally do spill over, she smiles and tells everyone who asks that she has chalk in her eyes.

She doesn't think they believe her for a second.


	3. part three

**Title:** yakusoku – part three  
**Author:** Araine  
**Characters:** Ishida Uryuu, Inoue Orihime  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Wordcount:** 488  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo-sensei.  
**Notes:** The third in a seven-part series of short-shots, centering around Ishida, Orihime, and the promises that they make to each other. The pieces at the beginning are parts of one version of the Tanabata myth. The title is "yakusoku", which means promise. Thank you to all of my reviewers, you make me feel special!

* * *

_Right away, Hikoboshi buried the zoori around the bamboo tree, and the bamboo began to grow at once. He began to climb to the top, climbing higher and higher, until he was very nearly to heaven. But he couldn't quite reach it. In his haste to see Orihime, he had only made 999 zoori._

_But Orihime heard his despairing cries and reached out and pulled him over the clouds. The lovers rejoiced to be united once again._

Kurosaki Ichigo grabs Ishida Uryuu by the front of his finely tailored shirt and presses him against the wall of the school building, before pausing to wonder if defeating him in an all out battle or punching him in the face will make him feel best.

He decides on punching him-

_(because he wants him conscious, and besides, Soul Society might get a little miffed if he started using his powers recklessly)_

-and Ishida takes it silently, even if Ichigo's fist comes away a little bit bloody from Ishida's nose. Not that he cares – the Quincy probably deserved it.

"What the hell is your problem?" Ichigo snarls, giving him a glare that is enough to make several choice members of the Gotei 13 cower in fear. "What did Inoue ever do to you?"

Ishida gives him a cool, questioning look, and inquires, "Inoue-san?"

Ichigo can't help but hate him for being so infuriatingly self-centered not to have even noticed. "Whatever you said to her, she's completely upset, and I had to hear from Tatsuki that she nearly left the classroom crying. What did you say to her?"

Ishida laughs _(and it is bitter and ironic)_ and Ichigo releases his shirt a little bit out of surprise. What does he think he's doing, laughing like that _(so callous)_ when Inoue is so clearly hurt. It just doesn't make sense – Ichigo resists the urge to punch him again, because Ishida is speaking.

"Don't be stupid, Kurosaki. Inoue-san's not upset over me," he replies.

"The hell she isn't!" Ichigo roars without thinking, but when it finally registered with him that Ishida is assigning the blame to something else, he wants to know what. If anything, he can beat some sense into the Quincy. "What the hell else would she be upset about?"

"You," Ishida replies, and Ichigo is stunned into momentary silence. The air rings in the absence of his anger.

When he replies, it is with a shake in his voice. Of all of his friends, his comrades, Inoue was the first one to fear him, the first one to see his Hollow mask, the first one to doubt his heart. "The hell she is, you were the one-"

"She loves you," the Quincy's tone is unforgiving.

"Of course she does! It's the same for me!" Ichigo replies outraged. "She's my nakama, my sister. You're the one who's being an ass-"

"Idiot!"

The reproach drips like poison from his lips-

_(can he even go an hour without insulting one of his friends?)_

-and he continues. "If you're this slow on the uptake, it's a wonder you're still alive. Inoue-san won't ever tell you – she's too good for that – but she wants so much to be a part of your life, Kurosaki. She's crying over you, because she needs you more than you need her."

Ichigo's eyes widen.

His hand drops.

"What?"

For a moment, Ishida meets his gaze – blue eyes sharp and intense and challenging – before he drops it and looks away.

"Nevermind," he snaps. "I shouldn't have said anything. Inoue won't want to know that you know, so you should just keep your big mouth shut. I don't want her to be upset. Not that I care or anything stupid like that, I just don't want to be caught up in your problems."

Ichigo stands, shocked into silence, as Ishida walks away. Slowly, slowly, he begins to process everything that just happened.

And then a realization comes over him.

Before Ishida can completely disappear through the school gate, Ichigo calls, "Oi! Ishida! What happened to 'always there for her'?"

The Quincy visibly pauses, before he continues walking markedly faster. Ichigo snickers a little bit.

Who knew Ishida liked girls?


	4. part four

**Title: **yakusoku – part four  
**Author:** Araine  
**Characters:** Kurosaki Ichigo, Arisawa Tatsuki  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Wordcount:** 815  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo-sensei.  
**Notes:** The fourth in a seven-part series of short-shots, centering around Ishida, Orihime, and the promises that they make to each other. The pieces at the beginning are parts of one version of the Tanabata myth. The title is "yakusoku", which means promise. This is my least favorite part out of the seven. It doesn't fit the format, and the style is different. But it was needed to complete the seven. Hopefully you guys like, and thank you to all of my reviewers!

* * *

_Orihime's father was not happy that she had married from earth, and set about to make Hikoboshi's life miserable. He set him a task that at first seemed impossible. _

_Hikoboshi was instructed to plant thousands of seeds in a field of clouds. Right away, Hikoboshi began to plant. It took him three days to complete the task, but eventually he had finished. The king was furious, and told him that he had gotten the wrong field._

It is the next day, and Orihime is not present at school. Ichigo shoots Ishida a reproachful look that the Quincy ignores with his usual stoicism.

At lunch, Tatsuki takes a seat next to Ichigo without a word. He looks up in something like surprise, but Tatsuki merely unwraps her bento and starts to eat.

After a moment, she speaks what's on her mind, "Did you find out what's wrong with Orihime?" she asks, blunt as ever. "Yesterday, you tore out of there like a bat out of hell when I mentioned Ishida's name, so I wondered if maybe he had something to do with it."

Ichigo nods.

Tatsuki gives him her 'tell me or you will never have any children to speak of' look.

So Ichigo explains, leaving out most of anything about Soul Society or Shinigami. He feels a little bit like a gossiping girl, but he tells her what he has learned from Ishida – and what he has learned about the bespectacled kid.

"Ass," Tatsuki concludes. Ichigo agrees.

For a little while, they are silent – they are people of action, not of words – before Ichigo voices what has been on his mind for the past day.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asks her. "That Inoue felt the way she does?"

Tatsuki doesn't even look up from her bento. "So you finally noticed?"

He scowls. "Ishida mentioned it."

"Ass," Tatsuki reiterates. "It's as clear as night and day, Ichigo. Only you're blind enough not to notice."

"So why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugs.

"I didn't want to say anything. Orihime is… sensitive."

Ichigo frowns. Tatsuki is like that, protecting Orihime,-

_(protecting everyone)_

-but he thinks that perhaps she is wrong. Orihime is more resilient than that.

Tatsuki stands up. Ichigo looks at her in confusion.

"If Mrs. Ochi asks, I got the virulent stomach flu."

Ichigo wonders if she expects him to remember that. Still, there is a more pressing question. "Where are you going?"

"I figured, if this entire debacle centers around Ishida, then Orihime should know about it."

She gathers up the rest of her lunch, and quickly leaves.

Ichigo wonders if she's ever heard of double standards.


	5. part five

**Title: **yakusoku – part five  
**Author:** Araine  
**Characters:** Inoue Orihime, Ishida Uryuu  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Wordcount:** 616  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo-sensei.  
**Notes:** The fifth in a seven-part series of short-shots, centering around Ishida, Orihime, and the promises that they make to each other. The pieces at the beginning are parts of one version of the Tanabata myth. The title is "yakusoku", which means promise. I am hoping to have all of this up by Tanabata, there's eight days and two more shots to go! Hopefully you guys like, and thank you to all of my reviewers!

* * *

_Orihime then called on all of the birds to help, and they had the field sowed in no time._

_Once again, the king was furious, and he ordered Hikoboshi to guard a field full of the ripest, juiciest melons, and told him that if he so much as touched one, he would have failed._

_Hikoboshi guarded day and night for two days. But at the end of the third day, he began to get very thirsty, and the sight of those plump juicy melons drove him out of his mind. If he chose just the smallest one, he thought, the king wouldn't notice, for there were thousands of melons in the field._

Orihime feels the butterflies in the pit of her stomach, and briefly wonders if they are having a good time making her just as nervous as she could possibly be. She wonders how she is going to do this, but she knows that she has to, and she has to do it today.

Better to get it over with than drag it out, she supposed, even if the thought of what she is about to do pains her. Not because it is the wrong thing – no, it is the right thing, the only thing she _can_ do – but because it is going to hurt him so much.

_And he's already been hurt enough._

He is not waiting for her, but when she gives him a terribly conceived smile, full of all her apprehensions, he turns around-

_(how does he know her so well?)_

-and the look in his too-blue eyes asks her what is wrong.

"Ishida-kun," she says to him, and her voice wavers, so close to the breaking point.

"Inoue-san," he says, voice full of concern – over _her_ welfare – and she hates herself because by doing this she is only hurting him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispers, and means it – with all her heart. Her voice catches in her throat, but she is determined to go on. "I was wrong, and I'm so, so sorry."

Ishida is confused and stricken, and he gives her an indecipherable look. "Sorry…" he repeats, and there is a question in his voice.

_What is going on?_

"I had assumed that Ishida-kun was in love with Rukia-san," she said. "But I was wrong, it was never Rukia-san, was it? I'm sorry for making false conclusions, and now that I know what is the truth… I'm so sorry to have to hurt you, but I-"

"I know. Stop apologizing," he interrupts, and while it is abrupt his tone is the furthest thing from accusatory.

_(This is all wrong, he should hate her for this, should despise her, he should not look so noble or dignified even though that _is _Ishida.)_

He offers her the smallest of smiles, but it is sincere. "I've known for quite some time, how you feel about Kurosaki. I accepted that."

This only makes her want to cry more. Why can't she be selfless like he is? Why can't she give up her girlhood dream? The thought of it makes her heart hurt with more than just longing.

"I'm so selfish," she whispers.

It is almost too quiet to hear, but he does, and he moves forward as if to embrace her, before thinking the better of it.

"I'm sorry," she says again, and then shakes her head and apologizes for apologizing again, when he told her not to. He remains silent, as he watches her with brilliantly blue eyes. "I'm so sorry, I should be able to give you up and forget that promise you made me. I don't deserve it. As long as I can know Kurosaki-kun, I should be able to face anything. But… I'm so selfish, I want to have someone to lean on, someone to be my friend, and I need you for that just as much as I need Tatsuki-chan and… and everyone else."

For a moment, the look in his eyes _(impossibly blue)_ is pained, but that is washed away quickly.

"I'm your friend, Inoue-san."

She offers a shaky smile, overcome by his simple statement..

"I promised, and it goes against my Quincy Pride to break that promise."

It is then that she moves forward – every ounce of her longing for the comforts of touch – and he takes her into his arms, and she cries her heart into his shirt.


	6. part six

**Title: **yakusoku – part six  
**Author:** Araine  
**Characters:** Inoue Orihime, Ishida Uryuu  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Wordcount:** 519  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo-sensei.  
**Notes:** The sixth in a seven-part series of short-shots, centering around Ishida, Orihime, and the promises that they make to each other. The pieces at the beginning are parts of one version of the Tanabata myth. The title is "yakusoku", which means promise. I am hoping to have this all up by Tanabata, which is in two days! Hopefully you guys like, and thank you to all of my reviewers!

* * *

_Hikoboshi guarded day and night for two days. But at the end of the third day, he began to get very thirsty, and the sight of those plump juicy melons drove him out of his mind. If he chose just the smallest one, he thought, the king wouldn't notice, for there were thousands of melons in the field._

_Delirious with thirst, Hikoboshi reached for the melon, and suddenly the great river Amanogawa sprang forth, crossing the entire sky and dragging Hikoboshi away from Orihime forever._

She can feel her heart beating _(pounding)_ in her chest like it never has before, as she feels the first wave of heat from the Cero blast. Even if she can summon her fairies in time, it may very well not be enough, and the wave of Hollow power will blast through her.

She closes her eyes and calmly accepts death, even if-

_(she has never felt so alive)_

-she regrets dying now, because so many could be saved.

For a moment she thinks that the force knocking her out of the way is the blast. But no, she can still feel her body, and anyways, wasn't that blast dead on?

She knows before she opens her gray eyes what _(or should she say who_) she is going to see, but she hopes _(even against that sickening pit in her stomach that tells her otherwise) _that he has managed to avoid that blast.

He hasn't.

Ishida hasn't even had time to realize that he is dead, or even to fall and hit the ground. He stands tall as always-

_(the proud Quincy archer, bow only just beginning to fade)_

-but there is no escaping the way his right arm is now missing, pieces of his jaw are torn away, and his glasses are cracked. There is not even any blood or bone matter to speak of – it was all vaporized instantly.

She feels so empty now, like her insides have disappeared and everything has gone cold.

He begins to fall-

_(and it is graceful, even as he dies he is graceful and reverent and proud)_

-and her body, her soul, her entire being cries out in protest.

_"NO!"_

The scream tears through her just like the Cero did him, and she wills her body to move forward. Somehow it does, even if she feels frozen and numb with shock. But she gathers him up in her arms, uncaring and unaware that she is immediately drenched in blood.

"No, no, no," she repeats, over and over again, the one word slipping from her lips unconsciously, a singular mantra, the only one she can think to utter.

_(Don't die.)_

It is in his blue eyes, already going glassy – he did this for her sake, to protect her, and she hates him for it, but hates herself more.

"Stay with me."

_(I love you.)_

Even as tears cloud her eyes, the shield of Souten Kisshun surrounds his body with golden light.

"You promised," she reminds him. "Always there for me."

_(I reject!)_

For a long moment, there is fear in her heart- _(she has never done something like this before)_ -that she is too late, that she can't bring him back from this, and a flash of doubt enters her heart.

But then skin and bone and muscle and blood begin to rebuild themselves, and she can feel her heart beat once more.

She is sure of herself, just as assured as Ishida always seems, and she resolves to be like him.

She resolves never to doubt again.

_(He loves her enough to die for her._

_She resolves to do the same.)_


	7. part seven

**Title: **yakusoku – part seven  
**Author:** Araine  
**Characters:** Inoue Orihime, Ishida Uryuu  
**Rating: **PG-13  
**Wordcount:** 742  
**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo-sensei.  
**Notes:** The final part of my short-shots, centering around Ishida, Orihime, and the promises that they make to each other. The pieces at the beginning are parts of one version of the Tanabata myth, and were written by me. The title is "yakusoku", which means promise. It's Tanabata, and here is the end of this fic! It's definitely been fun writing it. The part where everything comes full circle and ties together! IshiHime forever!

* * *

_Orihime wept bitterly, for it seemed she would never see her beloved Hikoboshi again. But the king felt sorry, for he hated to see his daughter sad. He arranged for the moon to ferry Orihime across the waters of the river._

_He allows them to meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month. On this day only can they cross that great river in the sky, and they will do so for eternity, until the stars burn down out of the sky. But until that day they will continue to meet – making promises and granting wishes._

Ishida awakes, and wonders how he is even alive.

He thought, for sure, he would be dead. Or maybe he has already journeyed over to Soul Society, and that is why the bed he is lying on feels so reassuringly solid.

He opens his eyes with a deliberateness to his movements, determined that if this is death, he will face it with dignity. That plan spirals when he wakes up to the wide gray eyes of Inoue Orihime staring him in the face, and he nearly fall off the bed.

She smiles so widely, he cannot but doubt that she is happy, even as the tears spring so readily to her eyes. And then suddenly she has leapt forward and is kissing him, over and over and over again, and the taste of her mouth is so delectable _(like pumpkin and spices and something he can't place his finger on)_ he decides that he _is _indeed dead.

He doesn't really mind so much, even if there is a nagging disappointment-

_(why is she here with him?)_

-but that is pushed to the back of his mind as he begins responding to her enthusiasm equally. He has done this a thousand times in his imagination, although now it is so much more visceral, more real, because while he imagined the softness of her perfectly, he never imagined her spicy taste or the way their noses would brush awkwardly.

Now that he's dead, he feels so… _alive._

_(Or maybe that's just her.)_

Their frenzied kissing dies down in intensity, although the air between them is still alive with energy _(he can just feel the reiatsu surrounding the both of them). _And he is wiping her tears away, stroking her face and her cheeks and her hair as he does so, even as her slender fingers move restlessly against his shoulders.

"Where are we?" he asks, although he doesn't care much about the answer.

"Soul Society," she answers with a smile.

_(Ah, he was right, he is dead)_

"Fourth Division was nice enough to set aside a room for you."

He is a little confused at this – he wasn't entirely sure of how a soul gets to Soul Society, beyond the soul burial. He didn't even remember that. But he is quite sure that recently departed souls did not get their own room inside of the Seireitei.

Orihime sees his confusion – he knows, because it is reflected in her face – but she doesn't seem to understand it.

"I'm sorry," he says, impulsively.

_(Even if he is not impulsive, but she makes his heart beat in the most exquisite of ways that it is impossible to do otherwise.)_

He gives her a sad look with his blue eyes. "I had hoped that you wouldn't end up dying, too…"

She giggles then, and it is a light sound, but full of life and love and happiness. "You're not dead," she tells him, and in an instant he believes it.

_(How could he be dead, when he feelst so alive?)_

"I saved you."

He frowns at this, suddenly discontent. "I was supposed to save you," he says. "That was why…"

_(That was why I did not hesitate, even when I knew that I was going to die.)_

Orihime gives him a long, serious look. "Maybe it isn't always the prince who has to do the saving," she says, gray eyes meeting his.

He starts at this, eyes widening and breath catching in his throat. She gives him a smile, and he understands.

_(She loves him just as much as he loves her.)_

He smiles hesitantly. "I thought it was a farmer who captured the heart of the princess," he says. "Isn't that how the story goes?"

She gives that same laugh _(so full of life)_ and the look in her gray eyes is soft. "I guess this time it's the heroic archer."

He gives her a solemn look. "I would weave a thousand zori for you." It is a gallant declaration, but also true.

She knows he would-

_(he would die for her)_

-and, in typical Ishida fashion, he would make sure he didn't even miss a single one.

_(And that makes all of the difference in the world.)_

"And meet me once every year?" she asks, only half-joking.

He replies in that soft voice that she knows is for her. "As long as you need it, I'll be there for you, Orihime."

She smiles.

It is splendid.


End file.
